Gabriel's Checklist (or, How To Survive Your First Christmas in Manila)

□ Pack light clothing.

□ Pack light clothing.

4:00 AM, 5 days before Christmas

Even with nothing but his boxer shorts on, Gabriel Park tossed and turned in his sleep.

Less than twelve hours ago, he'd flown in with subzero-degree temperatures in Seoul, and his body was still acclimating to the humid Manila weather. There was no air conditioning in this room, but he wasn't going to complain. He was only staying as a guest here at Filipina Legaspi's house, after all.

He could tell she'd prepared for his short stay, even though he'd said there was no need to make such a big fuss. The mattress and pillows were now fitted with new sheets. They came in a rich, dark blue color, a far cry from the pastel sheets with dainty flower prints he'd slept on a few months ago.

The room, which belonged to Fi's older sister who worked overseas, had also been cleared of its clutter. Its walls still proudly showed off Mayumi's love for old school K-pop, as evidenced by posters of first-generation idols. On the shelves were K-pop photo books as well as CDs, organized better than the last time he was here.

It had been Fi's stories that piqued Gabriel's interest and made him decide to return to Manila for Christmas. She'd told him about age-old traditions, delicious delicacies, and fun activities she'd missed a lot while working in Seoul for years. Her being able to spend Christmas in the Philippines might be more of a circumstance shoved into her hands than anything, but Fi was very happy to be here.

He was too. Now if only he could get some shut-eye.

"Gabe, are you decent?"

Gabriel's eyelids flew open at the sound of Fi's voice. The room was pitch dark, and the only hint of light he could see came from the digital alarm clock sitting on the bedside table. It said 4:00 AM.

He heard a knock on the door. "Gabe?"

Gabriel sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palms. Why is she up so early?

He replied with a soft groan and got out of bed. Careful not to bump into or trip on anything, he padded cautiously toward the door.

"What is it?" he asked sleepily as soon as he opened the door. The light from down the hall assaulted his eyes, making him squint.

"Jesus Christ, I asked if you were decent!" Fi exclaimed, frowning. She was still wearing her baby blue pajamas and oversized sleep shirt. There was a green bath towel draped over her left shoulder, and a tub of toiletries was nestled against her chest.

"What—I'm not naked," he pointed out, looking down at his boxers as though checking if his statement was true. "Why are you knocking at a man's door at this ungodly hour?"

"Hoy, this is my ate's room, no! Eish, jinjja—" Fi stammered, her words an awkward mix of English, Filipino, and Korean. "Put a shirt on, jebal!"

Gabriel laughed, finding it amusing how flustered she was. If he'd felt a little groggy seconds earlier, he was definitely awake now.

"First of all, your sister is not in the room with me." Just to be annoying, he pulled the door wide open and stood at the threshold—one arm leaning against the frame, his free hand resting on his hip. He held back a smile when Fi appeared to be debating in her head whether to take in the view or look away.

"Secondly, I can't sleep in this heat."

She looked up at him, eyes fixed on his face, challenging. "And whose fault is that? I told you to book a hotel so you'd be more comfortable."

"And I told you I want to be with you."

Her lips parted as if to protest, but no words came. Now accustomed to the light down the hall, Gabriel's eyes caught Fi's attempt to conceal a blossoming smile with a pout.

"Just get dressed," she said in a huff and turned to go. "We're hearing mass. Simbang Gabi."

A soft chuckle escaped his throat as he shut the door. All of a sudden, it wasn't such a task to get dressed in the wee hours of the morning. (And on his vacation too.)

Gabriel returned to bed, pulling his suitcase along with him. Several days ago, Fi reminded him to leave the knitted sweaters and goose-down jackets in Seoul because there was no winter in the Philippines. ("Okay, maybe bring just one set, so you don't freeze to death when you fly back.") He ended up revisiting his summer wear and packing his bag with every cotton shirt he could find.

"Okay... what do people wear to mass these days...?" Gabriel mumbled to himself as he unpacked his luggage and organized everything on his bed. Shirts and pants side by side on his left, underwear and socks on his right.

Underneath all the clothes was a flat red box with a gold ribbon tied around it. Gabriel picked it up and smoothed his thumb over the ribbon. It was less than a week until Christmas day, and he couldn't wait to see how Fi would react opening this present.

Will she like it? he wondered. He sincerely hoped she would.